Chapter 23 : Wishbone Ash (3)

Chapter 23

Wishbone Ash

Many people tend to believe that Luminus being at odds with Velmount is simply the result of historical animosity—and that this history has shaped the people of Luminus and Velmount into two fundamentally different kinds of individuals.

On the surface, that assessment isn’t entirely wrong.

Velmount does everything in opposition to Luminus: a militaristic system of governance, national colors of black and red instead of white and gold, overwhelming military strength reinforced by dangerous black mages, and a blunt, soldier-like culture… and so on.

But beneath all that—

Velmount and Luminus share one thing they can never fully shed from their origins in Luminus.

Pride.

For Velmount, it mirrors Luminus almost perfectly. Pride is face. Pride is dignity. They would rather die than lose face. This trait is like genetic code, etched deep into the marrow of every citizen of both nations—and that includes Velmount’s fallen hero… Sir Harry Kane.

Sir Harry Kane passed away only four months after the peace treaty was signed. At that time, Casca had yet to sever ties with the Church, and Fury had not withdrawn into the caves.

His death was officially announced as a sudden accident.

“But insider reports say otherwise.”

The moment Dan said that—

Rafinya, sitting quietly and listening, suddenly remembered.

“You must’ve heard something too. Unless you’ve been doing nothing but training nonstop.”

“I’ve heard…”

“Let me guess. From your father?”

She nodded.

“Not surprising, coming from a high-ranking noble like you.”

“What’s surprising is that you seem to know as well…”

“So what did those insider rumors say?”

“…That he might have taken his own life.”

Dan nodded.

But Rafinya shook her head.

“…It’s just a rumor. Baseless talk with no evidence.”

“How many things like that do you think exist in this world?” Dan countered.

“Ambiguous history. Incidents with no clear conclusion, no proof left behind?”

“In the end, he’s dead anyway. Why bring him up now?”

“I might know how he died.”

“…You?” Rafinya asked incredulously.

“You? A demon from the other side of the sea?”

“I may be from the other side of the sea,” Dan replied calmly,

“but I think I understood Harry’s true nature better than anyone.”

He sat down on a rock slightly higher than Rafinya.

“Because I met him on the worst day of his life.”

Rafinya crossed her arms and leaned back against the stone.

She was listening intently—or perhaps this was history seen from an entirely different angle.

“At the time, Velmount had already been allied with the Shadow for a while. The world didn’t know much about me yet. No one knew how things would end. Everyone was giving it their all.”

“How was the Harry you met compared to the one in the books?” Rafinya asked.

“What do you think he was like?”

“I never met him. I wasn’t born yet.”

“Then answer based on what you know.”

“The books say Harry was ambitious, decisive… straightforward.”

“That sounds a lot like you.”

Rafinya averted her gaze.

“From my perspective,” Dan continued,

“Harry was a little different.”

“How so?”

“He was someone who would rather break than bend,” Dan said.

“Arrogant in his pride, yet immensely talented. He was Velmount’s greatest asset. What did they call him again?”

“A magical prodigy who appears once every hundred years.”

The voice didn’t belong to Rafinya.

It was Nora Ophilis, who had come looking for them after noticing they’d been gone for a while.

She narrowed her eyes at Dan and Rafinya, suspicion flickering across her face.

“Nora… you’re done already?” Dan asked.

“Half an hour ago,” she replied.

“But when you didn’t come back, I thought something might’ve happened. You do have people who want you dead, after all.”

Rafinya immediately knew who Nora was referring to. She frowned, shooting her an irritated look.

“Nora… don’t.”

Dan shook his head lightly.

“I was just telling her about Harry. Nothing serious.”

“You mean Sir Harry Kane?” Nora asked.

Of course she already knew. She’d caught enough just walking over.

But the look in her eyes and the tone of her voice said something else entirely—

Why didn’t you ever tell me?

Why are you telling her without me?

She was clearly displeased at being left out.

“Come here,” Dan said, gesturing to the rock beside Rafinya.

“You can listen too.”

“Yes, Mr. Fury.”

Before Rafinya realized it, Princess Nora was sitting beside her, notebook in hand.

“Whether Harry truly was a once-in-a-century magical genius, I don’t know,” Dan went on.

“But one thing I can say for certain—he was a dangerous mage.”

“At the time, Velmount was fighting a two-front war. They pushed north to strike Mathema, and south to seize Luminus. Their power was terrifying because they were jointly researching magic with the rising Shadow race. Military-grade spells were being churned out nonstop.”

Dan recounted it all vividly, without even glancing at a book.

“Harry wasn’t a political figure who showed his face in the media. He was a founding member of Velmount’s Axis Party and worked mostly behind the scenes.”

The Axis Party no longer existed in Velmount.

It had been a faction made up of extremist soldiers.

They believed the people of Velmount were the most magically gifted race and thus deserved supremacy over all others—especially Luminus.

Magic was the fuel of this world. Therefore, Velmount should be the world’s fuel—not a nation oppressed by Luminus as it had been in the past.

So after seceding, amassing strength, and letting long-standing tensions with Luminus boil—

One day, it all exploded.

Velmount launched a full-scale invasion of northern Luminus and successfully occupied the territory.

That territory… today…

“Rafinya, you know which district that is, don’t you?”

“…My home. Newcastle.”

“That’s right.”

He was the one who enabled Velmount to seize Newcastle—a vital industrial zone, an arms manufacturing hub, and a key maritime transport route.

“When the war was at its peak, we emerged from the other side of the sea. By then, we’d already been clashing with the Shadow for some time—just without the world knowing.”

Parallel histories, unfolding at once.

“Until the first demon set foot on your continent.”

That was when the world learned of the Diablos.

To Harry, we Diablos were no different from beasts.

And at that time, the world didn’t yet know me.

“He saw us as nothing more than monsters,” Dan said quietly.

“My people were slaughtered in large numbers.”

Nora rubbed her chin.

“Sir Harry? But the books say he never harbored hatred toward the Diablo people.”

“Harry was a party member,” Dan replied,

“but unlike the Führer, he didn’t put himself in the spotlight. He knew exactly how to manage it.”

Suddenly, Rafinya cut in.

“What exactly are you trying to say?”

Her expression was tight with frustration.

“This isn’t anything like what I’ve heard. Harry restrained the Führer and overthrew the Axis Party because he opposed their ideology—that’s what history says.”

He was credited with restoring Velmount’s standing in the world. He was hailed as its savior.

But as Rafinya fell silent—

Nora spoke.

“But all of that… happened after you slaughtered the people of Velmount.”

Silence fell.

Dan clasped his hands, staring at the two students before him.

“Nora. Rafinya.”

His face was calm.

“During the war, I crossed paths with many so-called heroes on the battlefield. I only met Harry twice—but those two meetings were worlds apart. I could see the change in him.”

The last time I saw him, he was Sir Harry Kane, ruler of Velmount.

But the first time—

He was Major Harry, just a combat mage in the army.

“I’ll tell you what I saw from my perspective,” Dan said.

“I have no proof. And I’m not asking you to believe me.”